glorious sleep
Good morning, and happy Mother’s Day my lovelies.
Ok..
Today I just had to talk about the awesome quality sleep I’ve been getting lately.
Sleep has been a major problem for me for the last 20 years, since I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. It’s probably one of the most life altering symptoms of the condition, apart from the pain. Something in the FM sufferer’s brain stops them going into full Stage 4 sleep. Stage 4 is the deep, restorative sleep we all need. It’s when we produce growth hormones and repair.
For the past few years, getting out of bed has been one of the most unpleasant times of day. Imagine waking up every day feeling hungover. That’s what it’s like. Tired, groggy, seedy…it’s a really soul destroying start to the day, especially when you know your day is going to be full of pain.
But, for the past few months I’ve been doing a lot of research on paleo nutrition and the paleo/primal lifestyle in general. One of the things the paleo advocates talk about is improving sleep quality. They talk about always sleeping in a darkened room, turning off all technology a few hours for bed…that sort of thing.
Now..me? I’ve been going to sleep with the TV on for as long as I can remember. It’s not on all night, it’s just set to turn off after an hour or two. It’s been the only way I could get to sleep. Yeah, my problem isn’t just quality of sleep, but actually getting to sleep has been difficult. Also, if I wake up in the night it’s been near impossible to get back to sleep again.
So, I started turning the TV off. Actually I’m not even turning it on some nights. It was weird at first, trying to get to bed in complete silence, so I started listening to podcasts on my phone. At this stage it was still taking me a while to get to sleep. After a couple of weeks I tried to leave the TV on one night, as I was watching a movie. However, it annoyed the crap out of me! I had to turn it off… ahhh sweet silence and black. I was cured!
Now I just….go to bed and turn off the light….and sleep. I’m waking feeling more refreshed than I have done in YEARS. That, along with some home massage tricks before bed to keep knotty muscles at bay has seen my mornings transformed from the crappiest time of the day to….. something nice 
Yikes..gotta run. The guinea pigs haven’t been fed I can hear them trashing their cage!
Bye x
Oh yeah. Silence, darkness and a comfortable room temperature… Those are my must-haves for a good night’s sleep. Ear plugs are sometimes required…
I used to have to wear those soft wax earplugs (the ones that mould to your ear), when I was sleeping over Nerd Guy’s place as he sounded like a chainsaw. I can’t date another snorer!
I sleep with a big eye/sleep mask thing on and I find even if it’s dark in my room I sleep better with this on and I don’t wake early. It’s just the cats that I need to train now…
I usually wear a mask if I’ve had a very late night and want to sleep in but they kinda make me feel like I can’t breathe… also..damn cats all up in my face. Can’t they get their own breakfast?
Awesome Frankie! So glad to hear you’re getting some sleep. I don’t know how you get through the day. AW is an insomniac, and he has trouble not getting to sleep as well as getting into a deep sleep. He’s been to a sleep centre as well, but that didn’t really tell him anything different. He discovered he has hypervigilance, so his brain can’t switch off, so that is the main reason for his sleep problems. Anyway…so glad to hear it, and I hope you get more sleep! Oh…love that photo BTW!
Yeah it’s SO important Kerry. I am ok now but it’s difficult if I miss a good sleep one night it’s hard to catch up. I used to have that problem too, with my brain not shutting off. It just kinda stopped one day. Oh that photos is GORGEOUS isn’t it? How much would I love to be napping there?
that’s great
really happy for you and glad you are feeling better. i’ve had another really bad bout of poor health for the past three months, after a chronic illness that’s gone on for about two years so i really believe you deserve a freakin medal for battling this disease for 20 years and still staying positive. glad this has helped and sweet dreams 
Hey em, thanks. I guess after 20 years it’s just ‘life’. But it’s not a life I want dammit! I refuse! Sorry to hear you’ve not been well. Hope things improve. x
thanks heaps. yeah it’s really sucked. i finally understand the saying “your health is everything”. i never realised what an impact it can have on your state of mind. i have a whole new empathy for people who battle chronic pain. i have never experienced such frustration, powerlessness, loneliness, depression and hopelessness. it’s been a trip. sleep well XX
oops, how did I miss this? I hope you’re doing ok now emma xxxx
I can’t remember the last time I slept all night. Usually sleep in 60 to 90 minute increments. But every two or three weeks there might be a three-hour session and it feels restful by comparison!
“I used to have to wear those soft wax earplugs ” – even if Spouse just breathes a bit louder… I wear those every night
Otherwise I can´t sleep. And I wake all the time often, too.
So glad you found a way to sleep properly (or better).
I´m really, really lucky I get up so dang easily, though…
But falling asleep is awful. A friend´s Dad uses to say “main thing is, you´re lying down, resting” – helped me through many nights.
Hi Iris. Yeah it can really affect you emotionally too if you can’t sleep. Resting is good though, as your dad says. x